The Dietrich Time Companion Gets a Sterile Dial Limited Edition

For years, Dietrich has been making design forward, modern watches that are really unlike anything else on the market. Zach Weiss reviewed the OT-1 back in 2015, which seems like a lifetime ago, and that design, even today, seems to look to the future far more than the past. The Time Companion is Dietrich’s take on perhaps the most discussed watch sub-genrre of the last few years: the integrated bracelet sports watch. Carrying a retail price of $2,000, the Time Companion offers an affordable entry into what we usually think of as a prohibitively expensive category of watches, and offers an aesthetic that’s youthful, modern, and just a lot of fun. The latest edition of the Time Companion, the TC-Pure, is an extremely limited stripped down take on the watch that I think is likely to entice new Dietrich collectors veterans of the brand alike.

Dietrich Time Companion TC-Pure

• Case Material: Stainless steel, black PVD
• Dial: Anthracite gray
• Dimensions: 42 x 9.3mm
• Crystal: Sapphire        
• Water Resistance: 50 meters
• Crown: Screw down                        
• Movement: ETA 2824
• Strap/bracelet: Stainless steel bracelet 
• Price: $2,000
• Reference Number: n/a
• Expected Release: Available now

The TC-Pure is a collaboration with designer Matt Smith-Johnson (@teenage.grandpa on Instagram, and absolutely worth a follow), who previously worked on the Seals Model A.5, another integrated bracelet sports watch. While the two variants of the A.5 are full of design flourishes and bright colors, Smith-Johnson has taken a different approach with the TC-Pure, giving it a sterile dial, allowing the geometry of the case and bracelet to speak for themselves.

Other Time Companions feature the brand’s signature on the dial, as well as a date window and applied hour markers, but all of that is gone on the TC-Pure. Concentric rings on the dial give the watch a sector-like appearance, with high contrast Arabic numerals at the cardinal positions. At a glance, it’s simple, and the unique shapes cut by the bracelet and vaguely hexagonal case create the appearance of something almost organic.

While the design TC-Pure might look simple and straightforward, the watch itself is anything but. The Time Companion’s bracelet, with its center hexagonal link, is quite distinctive. And the dial, too, is not something that can be bought off the rack (nor can the custom cut sapphire glass that protects it). When you really inspect it and notice the details, this is the kind of watch that makes you realize just how similar most other watches are. The sterile dial helps you realize that with the TC-Pure a little more easily than you otherwise might. 

The TC-Pure measures 42mm across and is just 9.3mm thick. It’s 50 meters water resistant and features a screw down crown, and the TC-Pure is powered by an ETA 2824 movement. Two versions of the watch are available: one in stainless steel, the other coated in black PVD. Each is limited to just 25 examples, and can be purchased on the Dietrich website. Dietrich